Government will take back GHS 58m Black Stars World Cup support, says Finance Minister Ato Forson

Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson has revealed that the government will recover the GHS 58 million spent to support the Black Stars’ participation in the 2026 FIFA World Cup once FIFA releases the team’s tournament appearance funds.

Speaking during the presentation of the 2026 Mid-Year Budget Review in Parliament on Thursday, July 23, Dr Forson explained that the government stepped in with financial support to ensure Ghana’s preparations for the global tournament were not affected by funding delays.

“To support Ghana’s participation in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, an amount of GHS 58 million has been paid,” he told Citi FM.

According to the Finance Minister, the intervention was necessary because FIFA’s payment would only be made after the tournament, leaving the team in need of immediate resources for preparations, logistics and participation.

“Before FIFA gave them the money, they needed to spend. They needed to prepare and go for the World Cup before FIFA’s money," he continued.

Dr Forson disclosed that the government had initially budgeted GHS 150 million for the Black Stars’ entire World Cup campaign, based on the expectation that the team could progress to the final stages of the competition.

“So government needed to help out. I went to parliament and allocated GHS 150 million for the whole campaign, assuming that the national team was going all the way to the finals.

“We gave them GHS 58 million…I’ll go and collect my money,” he added.

The Black Stars ended their 2026 World Cup campaign at the Round of 32 stage after suffering a 1-0 defeat to Colombia.

Despite the early exit, Ghana’s return to football’s biggest tournament was viewed as a positive step after missing the 2022 edition in Qatar.

Ghana finished 24th out of the 48 participating nations, with attention now turning to preparations for the next major assignment — the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

The Black Stars have been drawn in Group C alongside Ivory Coast, The Gambia and Somalia, as they begin the journey towards securing a place at the continental showpiece.